Towing help please

I am try to figure out if towing a car on a trailer with my truck will be ok. I have a 2012 4 door prerunner. I am running bilstein 5100 in front with ome springs and maxtrac spindles. The rear is a set of all pro standard leaf pack and bilstein 5100 extended shocks. I plan i picking up a uhaul trailer and towing a 1968 firebird about 350 miles. LOoking for some expert input. Thanks

 

Do you have the tow package?

 

Yes

 

I've pulled heavier loads.. Take it easy and you should be good.

 

The average weight for the car was around 3800 lbs I'm not sure how heavy the trailer is but the tow limit is 6500 lbs. I would recommend you have a trailer with brakes on it.

 

Its all flat. Not many hills at all.

That means i need to install a brake controller?

 

car and trailer will be about 5600 lbs max, do you have a brake controller? ps uhaul might not rent you a trailer though.

 

Yeah i just noticed that they dont recommend it

 

For the right money, I'll sell you a 69 firebird and deliver it to your driveway.

you'll be fine towing it, just watch and don't put to much tongue weight on it.
I like to watch my back bumper while it's being loaded, when it drops about 2- 2 1/2 inches, that usually works for me.

 

Read about uhauls trailer it is 2000 lbs and has a tongue break so you don't need a brake controller. Your gonna be around 6k lbs you'll be fine just take it easy

 

The last U Haul trailer I helped a relative pull used surge brakes. Terrible, absolutely terrible. The trailer would slam when applying the brakes in the truck and again when taking off. Going around a down hill gentle corner and applying the brakes pushed the rear of the truck sideways. All too scary when going 45MPH. They're heavy too, over 2k empty. See if a local trailer house will rent you a real car trailer that uses good ol' electric trailer brakes. It'll most likely be a bit lighter too. If U Haul was my only choice, I'd seriously consider having a tow company go get it for me with a flatbed.

 

That sounds more like the trailer wasn't tightened down on the ball hitch enough and that the weight distribution in the trailer was too far back..

I mean, with a heavy enough trailer you definitely have to be careful and it does take hold of the back end a little bit more, but it shouldn't be doing that stuff unless somethings wrong...
I towed Uhauls largest trailer fully (and definitely over) loaded several months ago. Wasn't driving more than an hour away but I didn't have any problems like that.

 

I agree,this is a heavy trailer and a lot of weight behind a Tacoma for 350miles.

 

You have 35" tires and I don't see that you have regeared. You are going to strain the shit out of that little guy.

Advice... rent a truck to do the towing and make that rental work hard. Worries over and IMO worth the money.

 

Yes you will be fine but when you go to uhaul tell them you are towing an old bug, they are dicks with the weight and will say you cant tow it even if it is under.

 

The car ('87 BMW 3 series drop top) was all the way up to the stops and the ball was tight. I suspect the springs for the surge brakes were a bit loose.

I'd still never run a trailer with surge brakes again as you don't have any ability to drag the brakes on the trailer if you had to. The only way to stop a surge brake trailer is to apply the brakes in the tow vehicle and then the trailer slides forward pushing against the hitch which results in the trailer brakes being activated.

Many trailer dealers also rent them. Might even get luck and find a place that rents aluminum car trailers which would shave off several hunded pounds.